City Council approves $334M for Worcester Public Schools

Thursday

Jun 1, 2017 at 5:01 AM

The City Council this week approved a $334-million public school budget, but not without extensive grilling on state and federal aid, bus service cost, social services for low income and immigrant students.

The budget is an increase of about $11 million over fiscal 2017. It’s also the single largest line item in the overall $632 million budget, at about 53 percent, without factoring in other costs.

At-Large councilors Mike Gaffney and Konnie Lukes came out with the strongest criticisms of the budget. Gaffney focused on bus service costs, which he said haven’t been reduced in a significant way in three years. But he also praised the administration on the budget’s percentage of money dedicated toward teachers versus administrators. Out of about $14,000 spent per student, roughly $300 goes to support administration. The figure is below the state average, and below other large urban systems like Boston and Springfield.

Lukes addressed the school budget as a victim of a wider, systemic problem. Much of the city’s school population is comprised of “economically-disadvantaged” students, as defined by state education regulators. Poor students and students who need help learning English cost more to educate, she said, but the district gets insufficient funding from the state and federal government to fund those programs.

The schools are suffering she said, and the administration and teachers union need to do more to advocate. Suffering schools, she said, hurt the city as a whole.

“The School Department is a major part of the economic development issues in this city,” Lukes said. “We’re not going to attract young families, we’re not going to have a good work force, unless people believe in the school department.”

“Part of that,” she continued, “is a funding issue. If it’s not working, we have to address it.” But most councilors stressed the rising quality of the school department and spoke in favor of the budget. Over the past six years, the city schools have improved, said District 1 Councilor Tony Economou. The fiscal 2018 budget, he said, is a reflection of that, even as problems like unfulfilled charter school reimbursement and inadequate state funding.

“When you look at the school budget,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with it. We’re doing all we can with what we have to work with.”

At-Large Councilor Khrystian King said 2017 was a very good year for Worcester students going on to higher ed. He pushed the school administration to further market that fact.

Indeed, four students received full rides to Harvard University among other success stories. The anecdote was referenced several times during the meeting. King and others said investing in marketing could help elevate the district’s reputation and increase school choice numbers. The Council voted for the budget unanimously. The issue of teacher salaries was little discussed, save for a few passing remarks, and the Education Association of Worcester, the union representing teachers, wasn’t present for the hearing. The absence comes amid a heated, behind the scenes negotiation between the School Committee and EAW over raises. Worcester Public Schools teachers aren’t currently being offered raises, and the union is demanding a 4-percent increase.

District 5 Councilor Gary Rosen took the conversation to a federal level. He asked Superintendent Maureen Binienda how Worcester would fare if the education plan proposed by the Trump Administration were to go in effect.

Binienda, for her part, didn’t mince words.

“I think it would be devastating to Worcester Public Schools,” she said, noting it could lead to cuts in AP exams, food service programs and health services across the district, she said. “We’re just hoping that that budget doesn’t get passed,” Binienda said.

After the school’s operating budget was heard, a good portion of the remaining budget hearing was absorbed by discussion of how the city should pay for new school buildings. Gaffney said the city could take the money it is depositing into rainy day funds for two future school building projects and give it back to taxpayers.

But others, including Economou and At-Large Councilor Kate Toomey, argued it is sound fiscal practice to put money aside for large capital projects, such as new school buildings, which are often eight- or nine-figure projects.

Economou argued further that taking money out of reserves would hurt the city’s bond rating. A bond rating is the municipal version of a credit score. A lowered bond rating, Economou argued, would cost the taxpayer by way of more interest paid on less favorable loans.

Concern over some budget lines, including the DCU Center and savings accounts for future school building projects, kept the Council from voting on the full budget until at least a week.

Bill Shaner can be reached at 508-7493166 x324 or at wshaner@worcestermag.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bill_Shaner.